Most Emission-Efficient Container Ships
Ships ranked by AER (Annual Efficiency Ratio) — grams of CO₂ emitted per tonne of deadweight carried one nautical mile (g CO₂/dwt·nm), the IMO carbon-intensity metric behind the CII rating — from official EU MRV emissions data for reporting year 2024. Lower is greener. Pick a segment and size class to see the greenest vessels first.
| # | Vessel | Size (TEU) | Built | Carbon intensity — AER (g CO₂/dwt·nm) | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1451 |
DELPHIS GDANSK
IMO 9780653
|
2,155 TEU | 2017 |
11.3
|
D |
| 1452 |
MSC HARMONY III
IMO 9309411
|
2,824 TEU | 2006 |
11.3
|
D |
| 1453 |
ATLANTIC STAR
IMO 9670573
|
3,817 TEU | 2012 |
11.3
|
D |
| 1454 |
MSC SANTA MARIA
IMO 9290426
|
5,042 TEU | 2005 |
11.3
|
D |
| 1455 |
MAERSK NEWCASTLE
IMO 9215878
|
2,556 TEU | 1999 |
11.3
|
D |
| 1456 |
DELPHIS FINLAND
IMO 9763722
|
2,338 TEU | 2016 |
11.3
|
D |
| 1457 |
CMA CGM SAMBHAR
IMO 9295969
|
4,043 TEU | 2006 |
11.3
|
D |
| 1458 |
GREEN OCEAN
IMO 9865960
|
1,800 TEU | 2019 |
11.3
|
D |
| 1459 |
MAX SCHULTE
IMO 9676711
|
2,339 TEU | 2015 |
11.4
|
D |
| 1460 |
ODYSSEUS
IMO 9315824
|
2,824 TEU | 2006 |
11.4
|
D |
| 1461 |
ZHONG GU SHAN DONG
IMO 9333060
|
3,400 TEU | 2007 |
11.4
|
D |
| 1462 |
VIOLETTA
IMO 9344710
|
1,875 TEU | 2007 |
11.4
|
D |
| 1463 |
BAHRI JEDDAH
IMO 9626522
|
1,009 TEU | 2014 |
11.4
|
D |
| 1464 |
MAERSK NEW DELHI
IMO 9402627
|
2,546 TEU | 2009 |
11.5
|
D |
| 1465 |
CMA CGM AMBARLI
IMO 9436422
|
3,534 TEU | 2008 |
11.5
|
D |
| 1466 |
MACAO
IMO 9362724
|
1,795 TEU | 2008 |
11.5
|
D |
| 1467 |
GISELE A
IMO 9321471
|
2,700 TEU | 2006 |
11.5
|
D |
| 1468 |
MARIO A
IMO 9337377
|
1,604 TEU | 2007 |
11.5
|
D |
| 1469 |
NYSTED MAERSK
IMO 9220897
|
2,226 TEU | 2001 |
11.5
|
D |
| 1470 |
PANTHER
IMO 9138276
|
2,470 TEU | 1998 |
11.5
|
D |
| 1471 |
TOMRIZ A
IMO 9126754
|
1,119 TEU | 1997 |
11.5
|
D |
| 1472 |
CMA CGM MANAUS
IMO 9434917
|
2,550 TEU | 2009 |
11.5
|
D |
| 1473 |
MSC JULIANA III
IMO 9275036
|
2,556 TEU | 2003 |
11.5
|
D |
| 1474 |
MSC POLINA
IMO 9376141
|
2,500 TEU | 2008 |
11.5
|
D |
| 1475 |
EVRIDIKI G
IMO 9231482
|
2,530 TEU | 2001 |
11.5
|
D |
| 1476 |
MSC EAGLE III
IMO 9302449
|
2,478 TEU | 2004 |
11.6
|
D |
| 1477 |
CONTAINERSHIPS STELLAR
IMO 9866251
|
1,380 TEU | 2021 |
11.6
|
D |
| 1478 |
MSC KAYLA
IMO 9242637
|
1,768 TEU | 2002 |
11.6
|
D |
| 1479 |
MUKADDES KALKAVAN
IMO 9365829
|
1,880 TEU | 2008 |
11.6
|
D |
| 1480 |
MSC VANQUISH II
IMO 9242625
|
1,768 TEU | 2001 |
11.6
|
D |
| 1481 |
CHIQUITA EXPRESS
IMO 9304758
|
2,490 TEU | 2005 |
11.6
|
D |
| 1482 |
CUSSLER
IMO 9314997
|
2,824 TEU | 2007 |
11.6
|
D |
| 1483 |
MSC CANCUN
IMO 9403396
|
4,300 TEU | 2009 |
11.6
|
D |
| 1484 |
BUXLINK
IMO 9235816
|
2,478 TEU | 2002 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1485 |
GARDINER
IMO 9275048
|
2,556 TEU | 2003 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1486 |
NEWYORKER
IMO 9209104
|
2,506 TEU | 2001 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1487 |
ECO UMANDE
IMO 9959541
|
1,170 TEU | 2024 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1488 |
FERDINANDA S
IMO 9445019
|
1,577 TEU | 2008 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1489 |
MSC RICHIKA F
IMO 9386988
|
1,300 TEU | 2008 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1490 |
CRISTINA A
IMO 9337365
|
1,604 TEU | 2007 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1491 |
DAISY
IMO 9270684
|
2,200 TEU | 2012 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1492 |
BAHRI HOFUF
IMO 9620956
|
364 TEU | 2013 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1493 |
TIGER
IMO 9307841
|
2,524 TEU | 2005 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1494 |
EM HYDRA
IMO 9338967
|
1,740 TEU | 2005 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1495 |
MARGUERITE A
IMO 9305893
|
1,560 TEU | 2005 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1496 |
CONTAINERSHIPS AURORA
IMO 9814014
|
1,368 TEU | 2019 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1497 |
CMA CGM VILA DO CONDE
IMO 9434929
|
2,550 TEU | 2009 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1498 |
EM CORFU
IMO 9231494
|
2,530 TEU | 2001 |
11.7
|
D |
| 1499 |
SAGAMORE
IMO 9322009
|
1,730 TEU | 2008 |
11.8
|
D |
| 1500 |
MAJESTIC
IMO 9694438
|
2,239 TEU | 2015 |
11.8
|
D |
Which engines power the greenest fleets?
The main engine is the single largest CO₂ source on board — typically well over 80% of a ship's emissions come from propulsion. We aggregated this ranking the other way around: every engine design is scored by the measured carbon intensity of the vessels carrying it, licensee-built units merged under their design brand. The verdict from the 2024 data — modern dual-fuel designs like MAN B&W's ME-GI and WinGD's X-DF families, together with EGR/SCR-abated and ultra-long-stroke G-type engines, consistently power the most emission-friendly ships in service.
AER (Annual Efficiency Ratio) = annual CO₂ emissions ÷ (deadweight × distance sailed), the IMO carbon-intensity metric used for CII ratings. It is built only from measured CO₂, distance and deadweight — not the self-reported cargo transport-work figure, which is unreliable. Implausible outliers (top 2% per segment) are excluded. Grade A–E reflects each vessel's rank within its segment. Source: EMSA THETIS-MRV.